Human rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual their fundamental assumption is that each person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity they are called human rights because they are universal. Human rights an introduction is an important text that provides a comprehensive overview of human rights and related issues from a social science perspective first this book does more than discuss theory it uses case studies and personal testimonies in the debate. Universal declaration of human rights 20 i introduction human rights constitute a set of norms governing the treatment of individuals and groups by states and non state actors on the basis of ethical principles regarding what. Brief introduction to human rights universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law in the forms of treaties customary international law general principles and other sources of international law international human rights law lays down obligations of governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts in order